Apple struggles as Google, Amazon and Roku eat up the streaming-TV pie

Apple may be selling iPhones like hotcakes, but in the streaming-television market its getting squashed by Google, Amazon and Roku.

Those three firms have racked up similar numbers of users, with Roku having 39 million, Google 37 million and Amazon 36 million, according to data from market-research firm eMarketer. Apple trails far behind with 21 million.

“Roku, Google and Amazon lead the pack because of cost,” according to USA Today.

A Roku streaming stick costs $30 for basic service, and up to $130 for its premier device that streams in 4K. Google’s Chromecast streaming stick costs $35, but according to the newspaper is harder to use than Roku’s, because the latter uses a channel-based menu that people are accustomed to, and Chromecast requires users to find a desired show on their phone, then point the phone at the TV. Amazon sells its “Fire” streaming stick for $40.

But that should change later this year, when Amazon Prime Video comes to Apple TV, a move announced in June by Amazon and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Photo: Apple CEO Tim Cook watches as members of the media check out the new MacBook Pro at a press event held at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino in October 2016. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group)